Cotton-chopper.



No. 645,937. Patented Mar. 27, |900.

J. J. BROOKS.

COTTON SHOPPER.

(Application filed Jan. 2; 1900.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

wlgessas @gw/@MQ N. 645,937. Patented Mar. 27, |900. J. J. nooKs.

COTTON CHOPPER.

(Application filed Jan. 2, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sbeets--Sheei 2.

Ni'rnn STATES PATEN rre.

JOHN JOSEPH BROOKS, OF GRAPELAND, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,937, dated March27, 1900.

Application filed January 2, 1900. Serial No. 102. (No model.)

To a/ZZ w'wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JOSEPH BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grapeland, in the county of Houston and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Cotton-Chopper, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improved cotton chopper and cultivator, the object ofmy invention being to provide a cotton chopper and cultivator withdevices whereby the chopping-hoes can be caused to rotate at any desiredrate of speed, and hence to leave stands of cotton-plants in the rows atany desired distance apart without altering the speed of the horse orteam.

A further Obj ect of my invention is to provide a chopping-hoe forcotton-chopping machines which maybe narrowed or widened to any requiredbreadth to suit varying conditions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cotton-chopper withradially-adjustable chopping-hoes which may be adapted to operate at anydesireddepth in the soil.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cotton chopping andcultivating machine in which the cultivating plows or shovels arecapable of being adjusted laterally to operate at any desired widthapart, vertically to operate in and stir the soil to any desired depth,and longitudinally on the machine-frame to permit them to operateabreast of each other or either in advance of the other.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cotton chopping andcultivating machine With a draft-frame adapted for the attachment of thesingletree at any desired lateral adjustment.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cotton chopping andcultivating machine with laterally-extended handles to enable theplowm'an to walk on one side of the rows without strain or fatigue.

To these ends my invention consists in the peculiar construction andcombination of devices hereinafter fullyset forth, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of alcotton chopper and cultivator embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal central sectional View of the same.Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View of the same. Fig. 4 is a detailperspective view illustrating the construction of my improvedchopping-hoes, whereby they may be varied in width and adj ustedradially on their shaft.

The rectangular frame 1 of my improved cotton chopper and cultivator,which is preferably made of iron or steel, comprises the pair of sidebars 2, the front and rear crossbars 3 4, which are bolted thereto, asshown at 5, and the intermediate cross-bars G '7,

which are bolted to said side bars, as at 8 9,

series of openings 13 being made at regular intervals substantiallythroughout the extent v of said cross-bars 4 7, and hence permitting ofany desired lateral adjustment of the plowbars in the frame,'thusenabling the plows to be caused to operate at any desired distance apartand `at any desired distance to either side Of the cotton-rows.

The plow feet or standards 14 are bent or of the form shown in Fig. 2and are provided at their upper ends with series of adjusting bolt-holes15, by means of which and by series of openings 16 in the plow-bars saidfeet or plow-standards may be secured to said plow-bars by bolts 17,either abreast of each other or one in advance of the other and at anydesired Vertical adjustment, and hence enable the plows or shovels 18 tobe run at any desired depth in the soil. A brace-bar 19 is pivotallyconnected to each of the plowstandards by a bolt 20, and said brace-barsare provided with adjusting series of boltholes 2l, and hence saidbrace-bars may be secured to the plow-bars at any desired inclination'bythe bolts 22, 4which pass through IOO ings 25, bolted to the inner sideof the side bars 2, near the front end of the frame. On the said shaftare keyed a pair of laterallyadjustable beveled gear-wheels 2G 27, oneof which is larger than the other, and said gearwheels are secured atany desired adjustment on said shaft by the bolts 28 in threadedopenings in hubs or collars 29, formed on the sides of said wheels. Y

The longitudinal chopper-operating shaft 30 has its rear end supportedin a bearing 3l, bolted to the front side of the cross-bar 7 at thecenter thereof. Said chopper-operating shaft extends through an openslot or recess 32 in the upper side of the center of the crossbar 6 andis journaled in a removable bearing 33, bolted on the front side of thecross-bar 6 at the center thereof, and on the forward extension of saidchopper-operating shaft are a pair of beveled gear-wheels 34 35, each ofwhich is provided with a clamping-bolt 53, and thereby said beveledwheels are adjustable on the chopper-operatin g shaft, and either ofthem may be caused to engage either the wheel 2G or the wheel 27, andhence to communicate motion at any desired rate of speed to thechopperoperating shaft, and hence cause the chopper to leave stands ofcotton-plants in the rows at any desired distance apart without alteringthe speed of the horse or team.

The chopping-hoes 3G are carried by radial arms 37, having adjustingseries of openings 3S, by means of which openings said arms may besecured on opposite sides of the shaft 30 by a U-shapcd bolt 39, withthe choppinghoes at any desired distance from said shaft 30, and hencecontrolling the depth at which the chopping-hoes operate in the rows.

In order to enable my improved choppinghoes 36 to be varied in width,each of the said hoes is com posed of a pair of sections 40,which bearon opposite sides of the curved portions 41 of the arms 37, saidsections converging toward each other and contacting with each other attheir outer operating edges 42. The sections 40 of the chopping-hoes areprovided with lateral adjusting-slots 43, which receive the bolts 44,that pass through openings in the outer portions of the arms 37 andserve to clamp the sections of the chopping-hoes to said arms 37 at anydesired lateral adjustnient.

To the frontend of the frame l is pivotally connected, as at 45, adraft-frame 46, having the lateral draft-bar 47, provided throughout itsextent with the series of adjusting-openings 48, adapted to be engagedby the link or hook of a sin gletree, thereby enabling the singletree tobe attached to the machine at any desired lateral adjustment, and hencecounteracting any tendency to side draft.

To the rear portion of the frame 1 are bolted, as at 49, thelaterally-extending plowhandles 50, which, as here shown and preferably,are disposed obliquely to the left of the machine-frame, thus enablingthe plowman,

who walks behind the m achinc and drives the horse, to walk between therows of plants and to control the operation of the machine and directthe same in line with the rows without excessive fatigue. The handles 50are connected together by the usual bar 5l and are braced in position bythe usual bracebars 52, which are bolted to them and to themachine-frame, as shown.

By unshipping the shaft 30, and thereby removing the chopping-hoes, myimproved cotton chopper and cultivator is adapted to be used forcultivating growing plants other than cotton, which do` not require tobe chopped or thinned to form the stands.

It'will be understood from the foregoing that my improved cotton chopperand cultivator is light, cheap, and of simple construction, not likelyto get out of order, is of easy draft, easily operated by the plowman,and of maximum efciency.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a cotton chopper andcultivator, the combination, with the frame, of the laterallyadjustableplow-bars l0, the plow-standards vertically and longitudinallyadjustable on said bars, and the brace-bars 19 pivotcd to saidplow-standards, and adapted to be secured to said plow-bars l0 at anydesired vertical and longitudinal adjust-ment, and hence support theplow-standards at any desired inclination, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a cotton chopper and cultivator, of the frame,the drivingshaft mounted therein and having the supporting-wheels andgear-Wheels 2G, 27, of unequal size, said gear-wheels being laterallyadjustable on said shaft; the longitudinal shaft 30 journaled inbearings in said frame and carrying the chopping-hoes, and thegearwheels 34, 35, on said shaft and adapted to be secured thereto atany desired adjustment, whereby either'of said gear-wheels may be causedto engage either of the gear-wheels on the driving-shaft, to vary thespeed of said shaft 30, for the purpose set forth, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a cotton-chopper, the combination of the rectangular frame havingthe intermediate cross-bars 6, 7, the laterally-adjustable plow-bars 10,the plow-standard vertically and longitudinally adjustable on said bars,and having the brace-bars 19, the drivingshaft in the frame and havingthe supporting and gear wheels, and the longitudinal shaft 30, journaledin bearings in bars 6, 7, said shaft carrying the chopping-hoes andhaving a gear-wheel engaging the gear-wheel on the drive-shaft,substantially as described.

4. The chopping-hoes, comprising the slidable overlapping sections 40,and devices, substantially as set forth, to secure said sectionstogether, and to an arm or standard, whereby said chopping-hoes may bevaried in width, substantially as described.

5. The chopping-hoe, comprising the slid- IOO IZO

able overlapping sections 40, provided (one Width of said chopper may bevaried, subor both) with lateral slots 43 and olampingstantially asdescribed.

bolts in said slots, substantially as described. In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as 6. The combination,with the arm 37, of the my ownI have hereto afxed my signature in 5 chopping-hoe sections 40,overlapping each the presence of tWo Witnesses.

other, adapted to move laterally and disposed i on opposite sides ofsaid arm 37, and devices, JOHN JOSEPH BROOKS' substantially asdescribed, to secure said Witnesses:

sections 40 together and to said arm 37, at W. T. MAYO, Io any desiredlateral adjustment, whereby the B. S. GRAY.

